Formerly and Maiden Surname

[Lesley Robertson]

The only way to sort out the correct Mr Grice is the get his death certificate. Scottish death cents will normally name the spouse and whether or not they're alive.

[jac65]

The only way to sort out the correct Mr Grice is the get his death certificate. Scottish death cents will normally name the spouse and whether or not they're alive.

At this stage there is nothing to connect Mr Grice to Scotland, Emma Smith and William Fiddes married in London in 1867 and the birth of James 10 years later is the first indication of Emma being in Scotland. William & Emma eldest child, Jane born 1868 in London, is at the Fiddes grandparents in Scotland in 1871 but as William was in the army he and Emma could be anywhere. I think we need to wait for the 1867 marriage certificate to see if Emma was a widow or spinster.

Andy

[Debra Fiddes]

Thanks to everyone for the input. I'll order up the record of Emma and William's marriage. It might take a while to make it's way over here to Ottawa. When it arrives I'll share it in case you are curious too.

I had uncovered the "formerly Grice" notation after having traced the Fiddes family line back many generations and before I tell my family that we are almost entirely of British ancestry and not Scottish, I'd like some second opinions.

Debra

[Lesley Robertson]

Sorry, but if you're a Scot, you're still British.. I think that you mean that you're almost entirely English or Welsh.
Whatever happens, William Fiddes was a Scot from Aberlady so, unless you descend from Samuel, you can't escape .

I've been having a look around the records I can think of, and I suspect that Samuel's father might have been Mr Grice, but without benefit of marriage. It's always possible that she called herself Mrs Grice while she was expecting him, but his name would not have appeared on official registers. In Scotland, until the late 19th century, living openly with a man (without benefit of a ceremony) was enough to be considered a marriage (some of the tales in the courts involve Inn owners testifying that a couple shared a room in their establishment and called each other "husband" or "wife").
Emma then married William in England, where the Grice relationship wouldn't count.
Have you ever found Samuel's birth certificate?
I see that she registered James' birth. Who provided the info on John's birth certificate?

[Debra Fiddes]

Thanks again Leslie, We do infact descend from Samuel. His name, Samuel, enters into the family line with this marriage and continues to this day with my father's eldest brother being named Samuel Albert Fiddes ( after his two grandfathers ).

I'm hopeful that I will uncover more once I have the marriage certificate. However it may not be that informative. Searching for a Grice that died in London circa 1866 I found one reference only, an Ernest Samuel Grice. Ernest is also a familial name. However, I'll wait on more information before I go back onto Findmypast.

As for our Fiddes blood line, the heritage remains unchanged as much has been passed down through the years. And then there is the other side of our family, the Henderson's from Paisley. On my Mum's side the family comes from Derbyshire and Norfolk.

Unfortunately I cannot find Samuel's birth record. Smith is such a common name as is Grice that I cannot be certain as yet.

[Lesley Robertson]

The reason that I asked about the informant on John's b.cert is because if someone else did it (maybe the husband), he might not know about Mr Grise. When she went to register James, and authority asked whether she'd ever used another surname, she might have told them.